Today the Czech Constitutional Court rendered its much awaited decision on the relationship between the Czech constitution and the Lisbon Treaty. The Court decided that “[t]he Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and Treaty on establishing the European Community and Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union are not in conflict with the constitutional order.” The Treaty will now be handed over to the Czech parliament that will have to vote on whether or not the Treaty should be ratified.
Following last weeks approval of the Lisbon Treaty by the Swedish parliament (we reported earlier), the Treaty would – assuming that the Czech parliament votes in favor of it – be ready for ratification by 26 of the 27 EU member States.
Interesting. I don’t know why the Czech PM is waiting for the court now. as you point out, it has already decided on the issue. I think the Czech PM is trying to use leverage, being the last to ratify.
Vaclav Klaus wants his State to be exempt from the Charter of Fundamental Rights that is part of the “Lisbon” amendment to the EU’s basic law. More serious than his exploiting of the leverage he has in representing the only State that has not ratified the amendment, he is imposing his erroneous ideological view of the EU. According to Deutsche Welle, “A staunch euroskeptic, he opposes the treaty as a matter of principle, believing it yields too much sovereignty to the international bloc.” This, in short, is what is really going on here. (see: http://soozah.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/not-exactly-santa-klaus/)
The albiity to think like that is always a joy to behold